Colin Roderick Award

The Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented in 1967 and now has a prize of A$50,000. Starting in 1980, the H. T. Priestley Memorial Medal has also been bestowed upon the award winner.

The Award was founded by Colin Roderick, an Australian "writer, editor, academic and educator".

Award winners

2020s

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

Shortlisted works

2020s

The Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award shortlists
Year Author Title Result Ref.
2024 Trent Dalton Lola in the Mirror Shortlisted
Aisha Dow and Melissa Cunningham Life as We Knew It: the Extraordinary Story of Australia's Pandemic
Kate Grenville Restless Dolly Maunder
Rebecca Lim Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky
Amanda Lohrey The Conversation
Rachelle Unreich A Brilliant Life
Alexis Wright Praiseworthy
Melissa Lucashenko Edenglassie Winner
Bradley Christmas Saltwater Boy Longlisted
Sally Hepworth Darling Girls
Red Room Poetry A Line in the Sand: 20 years of Red Room Poetry
Allison Tait The First Summer of Callie McGee
Ellen van Neerven Personal Score
Sally Young Media Monsters: the Transformation of Australia's Newspaper Empires
2025 Garry Disher Sanctuary Shortlisted
Jane Godwin Look Me in the Eye
Gail Jones One Another
Leah Kaminsky Disorders of the Blood
Khin Myint Fragile Creatures Winner
Lainie Anderson The Death of Dora Black Longlisted
Robbie Arnott Dusk
Danielle Binks Six Summers of Tash Leopold
Darren McCullum The Wobbly Bike
John Wayne Parr The Fighter
2026 Evelyn Araluen The Rot Shortlisted
Aaron Fa'Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White Spirit of the Crocodile
Glen Farmer Illortaminni Tiwi in Paris
Natalie Harkin Apron-Sorrow / Sovereign-Tea
Raaza Jamshed What Kept You?
Hannah Kent Always Home, Always Homesick: A Memoir
Tony Birch Pictures of You Longlisted
Nicole Crowe The Washup
Garry Disher Mischance Creek
Megan Morais, Lucy Nampijinpa Martin,
Peggy Nampijinpa Martin, Marilyn Nampijinpa Martin,
Leah Nampijinpa Martin, Helen Napurrurla Morton,
Janet Nakamarra Long, Maisie Napaljarri Kitson,
Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe, Clarrie Kemarr Long,
Jeannie Nampijinpa Presley, Marjorie Nampijinpa Brown, Selina Napanangka Williams, Myfany Turpin		 Yawulyu: Art and Song in Warlpiri Women’s Ceremony
Omar Musa Fierceland
Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru A Piece of Red Cloth
Josephine Rowe Little World
Grace Yee Joss: a History

References

  1. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award". James Cook University Australia - Foundation for Australian Literary Studies. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Awards". James Cook University. Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  3. ↑ Colin Roderick, austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  4. ↑ ""Debut author Khin Myint wins 2025 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award"". James Cook University. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 ""'Edenglassie' honoured with 2024 Roderick Literary Award"". James Cook University. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "2023 Long and Short Lists". www.jcu.edu.au. 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  7. ↑ "Bitto wins 2022 Margaret and Colin Roderick Award". Books+Publishing. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  8. ↑ "Laguna wins 2021 Colin Roderick Literary Award". Books+Publishing. 2021-10-15. Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  9. ↑ "Young wins 2020 Colin Roderick Award for 'Paper Emperors'". Books+Publishing. 2020-09-17. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  10. ↑ "Drewe wins 2019 Colin Roderick Literary Award for 'The True Colour of the Sea'". Books+Publishing. 2019-11-01. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  11. ↑ "'On the Java Ridge' wins 2018 Colin Roderick Award | Books+Publishing". Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. ↑ ""Lit Bits"". The Canberra Times, 7 August 1994, p22. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2024 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2024 longlist announced". 9 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2025 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2025-08-05. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  17. ↑ "Myint wins 2025 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award". Books+Publishing. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  18. ↑ ""10 Books Compete for 2025 Roderick Literary Award"". MirageNews. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  19. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2026 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing.
  20. ↑ "Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award 2026 longlist announced". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 20 July 2026.